I was thinking exactly what you said in your last paragraph when I looked at LondonMidland – I’m from the West Midlands and LondonMidland were a welcome replacement for Central Trains in my view. It bemuses me that LondonMidland get things right and Southeastern don’t yet both are Govia companies. Not even the arrogant Central Trains were as bad as Southeastern.

Nothing I have read from Southeastern over the last few days has done anything to change my opinions on their fitness to run the franchise. It is time for them to be stripped. No ceremony, no messing about, just a simple and brutal stripping of the franchise from them. Southeastern knew what they were getting involved with when they took the franchise on. They have failed and must now be relieved of it.

Measures such as running the longest trains possible give more collector shoes to clear the third rail and more units to connect – so if the front unit runs on to ice the rear one(s) can pull (or push it clear.

True your modern fleet does not like drawing great arc’s when there is ice or snow on the rail and the old crude trains that SWT and Southern have can batter through in conditions that some modern equipment is too fragile to work with.

A further failing that runs back to BR sectorisation days – penny pinching specs – and DfT meddling with same is that there are a variety of train coupling systems which are incompatible – when in the past almost any train could pull or push any other train. The Southern Region even had the facility to control a diesel loco (any ‘blue square’ type) connected on to an electric train (most of the old slam-door corridor stock), and the whole unit driven as a diesel train when there was no electricity. As a key provision – which will resolve a number of issues of short trains (diesel) and bus replacement services when the power is switched off, a fleet of Thunderbird/conversion locos should be converted from suitable locos currently in storage. The ‘conversion use would allow the Oxted-Uckfield and Hastings-Ashford services to operate with electric units which then can run the rest of the route integrated with other electric units, and could also extend the Reigate and Guildford services through to Reading.

Third rail systems can be kept working in snow of there are regular snow patrol trains running – Network Rail don’t have these trains – Southeastern does, and the drivers can be ‘found’ by reducing the daytime call on drivers and trains (as the cost cutting of most rail operators has pared away all spare contingency in this respect)

Rather surprisingly one of the best Twitter feeds was from LondonMidland a third Govia company running trains in to London. So how come they got it so right when Southern and Southeastern left a vacuum to be filled by @_southeastern and @Southern_Trains?

Either,

British Police and Security Services comprehensively failed to detect Kent Ertugrul’s Russian developed spyware operating at the centre of BT’s network in 2006 and 2007… during a period of critical/severe security alert and even warfare.

Or

Someone in the Cabinet authorised illegal trials of mass communication surveillance/industrial espionage to occur.

In 2008 there was a huge outcry when BT’s deception was exposed. Petitions to the Prime Minister, humiliation for BT’s Emma Sanderson on TV, press stories, and interventions by the European Commission.

Despite all of that, BT even continued to execute a third trial.

No one was arrested. No one has been prosecuted. Police, ICO, Ofcom, Home Office, BERR (now BIS), Trading Standards, MPs refused to act. ICO pleaded ignorance and claimed they had received assurances. Ofcom were trying to improve public perceptions of spyware. Police called it a ‘civil matter’. And the Home Office were even exposed colluding in secret with these bandits.

For three years, Phorm have ignored even the basic filing requirements for all businesses trading in the UK. But Companies House also sat on their hands.

Despite a request for prosecution, the CPS have done nothing… for approaching two years.

The extent of the corruption surrounding Phorm – both commercial and political – is just staggering. Absolutely beyond belief.

Whatever your views on democracy and politics, for pity’s sake, at this election…

PLEASE DO NOT VOTE FOR LABOUR.

Thanks for dropping by. Part of me was wondering if it was a spoof article. The potential damage caused by overzealous headbanging is something I’ve seen and experienced myself so it is a valid concern. Phoning the cricket team captain that you can’t play because you’ve got headbangers’ neck doesn’t endear you to the club management. But you can’t bat when you’ve given it plenty on the dancefloor the night before.

AC/DC playing Moon River does take some serious imagining though…

Please spread the word on Facebook, Twitter etc. Show the citizens this list – with a message that if their MP voted for the bill, then they should be kicked out at the election.